The Lucky One (2) - Taylor Swift

34

It was some time later when Andrea had returned, she brought Taylor some food and Taylor spent a great day of her own time eating shoving french fries into Grace's mouth because the mashed potatoes had been a no in the end.

"How do I shower with casts?" Grace looked at her arms with a bit of stress. Taylor could see the heart rate spike on the monitor.

"You'll have to bag them up and probably get some help," Andrea looked to Taylor when she said that, "It's a good thing you two are close."

"I don't mind," Taylor was just glad Grace wasn't so confused anymore.

"I cannot work with this," Grace groaned, "My fingers are trapped in these cages, how will I eat? You will not be feeding me for six weeks, do not suggest it."

"They have these soft tubes you can put on forks to make it larger handles, much easier to hold," Andrea said and Grace made a fact that very clearly asked how she knew that, "I spend a lot of time in hospitals, I hear things."

"And the good news is, I hear your boss is pretty understanding about personal time off."

The next day, Michael and Grace were both discharged. Their better halves were given instructions on what to look out for with their concussions, Grace's was more severe than his. Strict rest for them both was a must and Taylor had relocated the cats to Andrea's hotel room, since she had been invited to stay for Christmas since she was already there.

Michael was having a very hard time getting around with the broken ribs and leg but he managed to hobble inside and Amber helped him get settled onto the couch with the reclining footrest out. Taylor kept her hands just behind Grace as she walked, despite the brunette insisting that just because her legs were bruised didn't mean she was going to fall over. She got seated and the back door swung open.

Little feet did not kick off the snow boots they were wearing as Gracie ran towards them, only to be caught by Amber before she could tackle anymore, "Hey, Daddy and Aunt Grace don't feel well. Be very gentle, remember?"

"Okay," Gracie nodded and kicked her feet in the air like she was on a treadmill as her mother tried to remove her boots. Amber chuckled as she set her down with another reminder to be gentle and the three year old looked at Grace's cast, "Why this?"

"Because we got hurt," Michael explained as rationally as he could, he didn't want to tell her what happened and make her scared of the car, "By the time the snow is all gone, we will feel better."

"When?" Gracie asked, she loved the snow. They couldn't get her out of her snowsuit some days, her lips threatened to turn blue before Michael would toss her over his shoulder and carry her in against her will.

"Sometime in March," Michael answered.

"When March?"

"Well... it's in March."

"Reminds me of you the other day," Taylor chuckled as she pressed a kiss to Grace's head from the back of the couch. Grace mainly kept still, she'd gotten it into her head that if she didn't move, it wouldn't hurt. Everything hurt, though, her head, the slight ringing in her ears, it wasn't getting better.

"That's mean," Grace hummed but her cheeks turned into a small smile against her own wishes. Taylor had told her about the constant questions and while she said it broke her heart, she did admit it was slightly funny in the end.

"Good news for you," Nellie let herself in as Amber had told her to. She dropped her duffel bag on the hardwood floor by the front door, having just pulled in with her rental, "I'm here to make your lives easier."

"Who called you?" Michael was surprised by his younger half-sisters sudden presence.

"I'm just that good," Nell rolled her eyes teasingly, "Amber, obviously. It's Christmas and my relatives tried to slingshot themselves across the state in a pickup truck. I'm here to do whatever you need, my friends back home all had plans anyways."

"Daddy, what slingshot?"

"Don't worry about it," Michael shook his head at Eleanor's lighthearted joke. Since the funeral, Eleanor had only become accustomed to showing more of herself.

"Don't make jokes, we're so bruised and broken that we cannot laugh," Grace warned.

"Oh come on, don't be such grumps. It is Christmas!"

"No seriously, don't make her laugh," Taylor chimed in, "I've got two words for you if you do, puke and bucket. Concussion already has her nauseous."

"Forget that I said a thing!" Nellie quickly switched up her attitude because Taylor was definitely not joking and she wasn't sure she loved her sister that much, "Amber, what can I help you with?"

"Could you throw on some laundry? There's a bin of dirty clothes in there already," Amber was trying to pick up a bit of the mess that had happened while Gracie was being watched by her grandfather.

"Wait!" Grace looked at Taylor with panic, "My bracelets!"

"Your bracelets?" Taylor asked and then it hit her. Grace's friendship bracelets. She'd restrung them a dozen times, but she never took them off, "They weren't in the bag with your wallet and stuff."

"No," Grace shut her eyes tightly. She didn't have the reminder to check for them because the casts went right over that part of her wrists and up her hands.

"I'll make you new ones," the blonde promised with the hope that Grace wouldn't cry. It sounded like she was going to cry but Grace held it in because she refused to cry in front of all those people.

Taylor spoke very quietly into her ear but the former heiress shook her head no and gulped. Those little plastic beads had become something to fidget with when she needed comfort or a reminder not to drink. The colouring on some of the letters was even starting to fade, but she still rebuilt them every time the string snapped.

Hours later, between helping the twins with little things like when Michael fell asleep and Grace couldn't use her phone to change the audiobook speed and cleaning the house up, Taylor, Amber, Andrea and Eleanor all finally took a seat around the fireplace with hot chocolate.

Michael had use of his arms so he was able to drink some, but Grace was limited to Taylor holding it up to her mouth for her if she couldn't use a straw, so she passed on that despite loving it.

"I would like to share one bright side to this accident thing," Michael started and he began to smile so everyone knew he was setting up for a joke, "If you can't move off the couch, you cannot drink."

"That is the only thing keeping me sober today," Grace nodded, "Whatever painkillers they had me on in there... kind of felt like a bottle that went down too fast."

"They put you on Tylenol now, so don't get any ideas," Taylor chuckled.

"I'm alright," Grace told her, "I'm stealing some of your hot chocolate."

"Not if I don't move it to your mouth, you're not," then she let Grace take a sip anyways.

Christmas was not at all how they had thought it would be and yet despite that, it was still a really nice time surrounded by family and friends.

When Amber told Andrea to invite Scott and Austin to join them and surprise Taylor, because she truly did believe no one should be alone for Christmas, Grace wanted to curse her out. She couldn't run from Scott in her current state, but they made it work.

It was a good Christmas in the end and even though Taylor slept on the floor next to the twin bed they were once supposed to share, she would do it all over again to see Grace's eyes light up watching her niece shred open presents on Christmas morning.